Outlaw Vices (third in The Crane Gang Series)manxman

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

Despite knowing the disappointment he would no doubt receive from his family, Craig was still happy to see the ranch come into view.

And he wasn't a bit surprised when he was stopped before he got there by Wyatt stepping around a rock with that sawed-off shotgun of his aimed at Craig's chest.

Craig brought he wagon to a stop, ignoring the questions from Susannah who was sitting in the back of the covered wagon.

Craig saw Wyatt frown as the man stared up at him. Craig knew he'd be hard to recognize. He hadn't shaved in the weeks it had taken him to get to the ranch. He hadn't bothered to bath much either. His hair was a greasy, dirty mess that had gotten far too long and his face was hidden behind the starting of a real decent beard.

"You gonna shoot your best friend, Wyatt?"

The confusion on Wyatt's face vanished as a smile so damn broad it nearly cracked his face, spread across his cheeks. He hopped up and down and motioned behind him as his mouth went a mile a minute.

Craig damn near shit his britches when that giant, scarred-up Indian his best friend loved stood from the rocks, seeming to materialize out of nowhere.

"Glad you're back, Craig. Now my man can stop talking about you five hundred times an hour," Zachariah stated dryly.

Craig saw Wyatt shoot Zachariah a glare and then the smaller man was once again hopping up and down and urging Craig to get down.

"I'm gonna finish driving in...." Craig began but his words fell silent when Susannah popped her head through the opening at the front of the wagon and frowned at the sight of Wyatt and Zachariah.

"Who are the negro and the ugly injun?" she asked, curling her nose.

Craig felt his temper flare at the sight of Wyatt's hurt expression. He saw Zachariah take note of that as well and begin to step forward with his fists clenched.

Craig was quick to respond, before Zachariah could. "The negro is my best friend so you'd do well to show a bit more respect and that injun is his man and part of the family and more than a little hot-headed... you'd do well to show him a bit more respect as well."

"His man?!" Susannah exclaimed with disgust.

Craig winced at the shrillness of her tone. He should have explained all of this to her in the past couple of weeks as they'd travelled—but, truth was, he hadn't spoken more than a handful of words to the woman.

He hated her. And not just for her role in tearing Ezekiel from him. She was horrid. Loud, shrill, judgmental and whiney. Nothing was ever good enough and she used her condition to attempt to receive special treatment everywhere they went.

Yeah, she was not a woman that Craig would have been tempted by even before Ezekiel....

Thoughts of Ezekiel had pain radiating throughout Craig so he quickly shoved the man from his mind.

He turned his attention to his best friend. 'Who is she?' Wyatt asked.

Craig rubbed the back of his neck. "I'd only like to have to explain this once so can we get everyone together first?"

Wyatt cast a worried glance to Zachariah who put his arm around him and cast a threatening glance toward Craig.

Craig sighed. The ex-bounty hunter never had cared much for him—probably because Craig had been so good at hurting his family recently.